Article handling pallet means



July 28, 1959 A. F. CELLEY 2,896,798

ARTICLE HANDLING PALLET MEANS Filed Nov. 18, 1953 Elma/mm fiLBERz'ECaLzaY United States Patent 2,896,798 ARTICLE HANDLING PALLET MEANS Albert F. Celley, Charleston, W. Va., assignor to Owens- Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Application November 18, 1953, Serial No. 392,952 1 Claim. (Cl. 21410.5)

The present invention relates to improvements in the stacking and handling of articles, such as packed cartons and the like rectangular objects in so-called unit loads so that they can be transported by means of a power lift fork. It is common practice to build such cartons into self-sustaining piles upon pallets which are provided with transverse horizontal openings to accommodate the arms, or tines, of the lift fork.

These pallets ordinarily are formed of wood and are quite heavy and costly. Since they are shipped with the cartons and must be returned to the shipper for reuse, it is apparent that the freight cost becomes an extremely important factor.

An object of my invention is the provision of means to overcome the foregoing objections and incident thereto, provide an inexpensive and completely reliable substitute for such pallets, which will not only materially reduce the initial cost, but additionally eliminate nearly the entire freight cost and possibly any need for reuse insofar as the economics is concerned.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a unit load or pile of cartons, illustrating the utility of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of my paperboard pallet; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View on an enlarged scale showing the manner of interlocking the ends of my paperboard pallet and cartons making up the unit load, or pile.

Referring to the drawings, the cartons 10, which are of rectangular form, are stacked one upon another, in horizontal courses until a so-called unit load has been built up. It is of course obvious that articles other than cartons may be so stacked. Any articles of rectangular configuration capable of being built up into such stacks, or groups, of self-sustaining formation, may utilize my invention.

The bottom course 11, as are the other courses, of each pile or stack, may be composed of several transverse rows of cartons 10, which rows are spaced apart lengthwise of the course to provide parallel spaces 12 to accommodate the arms 13, or tines, of a power lift fork (not shown). Such fork may well be of the type shown in the patent to Cartwright #2,530,375-issued November 21, 1950, although the specific gripping means of the patent, or in fact any laterally movable gripping means, is not essential, as will be apparent presently. It is important that the transverse rows of cartons in this lower course be positively and uniformly held spaced apart, so that at any stage of handling, it will be possible to insert into the spaces, the arms or tines of the lift fork, preparatory to relocation of the pile, or stack, as a unit. To this end the pallet 14 which I have designed, maintains such spacing by reason of its comparative rigidity and the fact that it is shaped to exactly conform to the bottom and side surfaces of the cartons of the lower course and exposed downwardly facing surfaces of the articles in next adjacent course. Additionally, it includes tongues which are firmly gripped between cartons in the end rows of the lower course and corresponding cartons in the next adjacent course.

Each pile, or unit load, of cartons is built up in such fashion that the rows of cartons in the'lower course 11 2,896,798 Patented July 28, 1959 r-r' ICC are spaced apart a distance to provide spaces 12 for the arms 13 of the lift fork. The second course 11 from the bottom is composed of a greater number of transverse rows of cartons arranged in abutting relationship, in consequence of which the cartons of the end rows in the second course project slightly beyond the end cartons of the lower course. Thus an additional space is provided at each end of the lower course to receive the end arms, or tines, of the lift fork.

Specifically, the paperboard pallet 14 comprises a rectangular sheet of corrugated board, or a suitable substitute material of the necessary length and width to engage the otherwise exposed bottom and side surfaces of the cartons in the lower course, and the otherwise exposed lower surfaces of the cartons in the course immediately thereabove. The sheet is provided with a multiplicity of parallel longitudinally spaced scores 15 which define the side margins of panels 16 designed for engagement with the bottom surfaces of the cartons in the lower course. Intermediate scores 17 define the upper longitudinal margins of panels 18 which lie against the sides of said cartons and somewhat narrower panels 19 which abut portions of the lower surfaces of the cartons in the next adjacent course. At the ends of this sheet the last named scores 17 define the inner margin of flaps 20, the latter being formed with transverse slits 21 whereby a tongue 22 is provided intermediate the ends of said flap. This tongue is intended to be folded back in the direction opposite the direction in which the flap proper extends so that it may be firmly gripped between certain of the end cartons of the lower and next adjacent courses. Thus, with the cations or like articles assembled upon the pallet as shown, a self-sustaining unit load is formed. The arms of the lift fork are projected into the spaces provided. Such arms may, if desired, include laterally movable grippers 23, as in the Cartwright patent, for positive holding engagement with the sides of the lower course of cartons. Alternatively, the grippers may be omitted and the arms merely brought into engagement with the panels 19 and end flaps 20. In either event, the unit load will be supported upon the fork arms, whereupon the fork is operated in the usual manner to transport the load to the desired location.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A pallet for supporting a plurality of stacked car-.

tons comprising a rectangular sheet of paperboard having a multiplicity of spaced parallel scores extending between a pair of opposed edges and defining the side margins of a plurality of panels, said sheet folded on the scores to position certain panels in a common horizontal plane and other panels in a different horizontal plane, vertical panels interconnecting said certain and other panels, outwardly oppositely directed flaps provided at the upper margin of the endmost vertical panels and a pair of tongues formed by transverse slits in said tflaps and folded inwardly from the upper margins of the latter to overlie and contact upper surfaces of cartons resting upon two of the horizontal panels and be gripped between said surfaces and other cartons immediately thereabove.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,301,197 Tully Apr. 22, 1919 1,640,452 Knowlton Aug. 30, 1927 1,922,560 Sullivan Aug. 15, 1933 2,119,956 McDonnell June 7, 1938 2,148,048 Gray Feb. 21, 1939 2,412,184 Ulinski Dec. 3, 1946 2,489,054 Sprolle Nov. 22, 1949 2,611,569 Coleman et a1. Sept. 23, 1952 

